Daily bulletins with danger ratings are finished for the season for this region. General advice can be found in the Avalanche Problems section and on the Forecast Details tab below. Additional information can be found in the Forecaster Blog.
Avalanche Summary
Spring conditions exist in the region. Avalanches are most likely to occur in response to solar radiation, warm temperatures, and periods of rain. Particularly dangerous conditions may develop during prolonged periods of warming, heavy rain, or on days with no overnight freeze. Under these conditions, surface avalanches may step down and trigger deeper wet slab avalanches. Prolonged warming may also weaken large and destructive cornices. Large cornice releases are dangerous, and may act as a heavy trigger on the slope below. Typically, avalanche activity increases during the day and is at a peak during the afternoon. If it's raining or there was no overnight freeze, avalanche activity can happen at any time.
Snowpack Summary
As we transition into spring, the surface layers have a great deal of influence on the snowpack. When there is a solid re-frozen surface crust, travel is fast and easy, and the snowpack is held together by the surface cap. Surface layers and any deeper persistent weak layers are unlikely to fail until the surface cap breaks down from daytime heating. During warm conditions, melt water is able to percolate within the snowpack and cause surface layers and any deeper weak layers to fail. If it cools off and snows, new snow may not bond well to the hard spring crusts, and isolated storm and wind slabs can easily develop.
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Wet Slabs
Wet Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) that is generally moist or wet when the flow of liquid water weakens the bond between the slab and the surface below (snow or ground). They often occur during prolonged warming events and/or rain-on-snow events. Wet Slabs can be very unpredictable and destructive.